Heart rate variability and inflammation: A meta-analysis of human studies

Williams, DeWayne P.; Koenig, Julian; Carnevali, Luca; Sgoifo, Andrea; Jarczok, Marc N.; Sternberg, Esther M.; Thayer, Julian F. (2019). Heart rate variability and inflammation: A meta-analysis of human studies. Brain, behavior, and immunity, 80, pp. 219-226. Elsevier 10.1016/j.bbi.2019.03.009

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The inflammatory reflex is known as the body's primary defense against infection and has been implicated in a number of diseases. The magnitude of the inflammatory response is important, as an extreme or insufficient response can be differentially harmful to the individual. Converging evidence suggests that the autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulates the inflammatory reflex. Heart rate variability (HRV) can be separated into components that primarily reflect parasympathetic (PNS) or vagal activity (i.e., indices of vagally mediated HRV) and a combination of both sympathetic (SNS) and PNS influences. Given the physiological relation between the vagus and inflammatory processes, one would expect to find higher HRV, especially indices of vagally-mediated HRV, to be associated with decreased levels of inflammation via the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. However, existing findings here are mixed, such that studies have also shown a positive association between indices of HRV and markers of inflammation. Therefore, the present meta-analysis aimed to synthesize existing studies, estimating the general direction and strength of the relationship between different indices of HRV and inflammatory markers. A systematic search of the literature yielded 2283 studies that were screened for inclusion eligibility (159 studies eligible for inclusion); in sum, 51 studies reported/provided adequate information for inclusion in meta-analyses. Results generally showed negative associations between indices of HRV and markers of inflammation. In this regard, the standard deviation of R-R intervals (SDNN) and power in the high frequency band of HRV (HF-HRV) showed the strongest and most robust associations with inflammatory markers compared to other time- and frequency-domain measures of HRV. Overall, we propose that indices of HRV can be used to index activity of the neurophysiological pathway responsible for adaptively regulating inflammatory processes in humans.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > University Psychiatric Services > University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
04 Faculty of Medicine > University Psychiatric Services > University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy > Research Division

UniBE Contributor:

Koenig, Julian

Subjects:

600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

0889-1591

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Chantal Michel

Date Deposited:

02 Dec 2019 16:01

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:32

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/j.bbi.2019.03.009

PubMed ID:

30872091

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.135650

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/135650

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